G is for George
by samantilles
Summary: Bra'tac reflects upon Hammond of Texas after he receives the news of George's passing. Canon Major Character Death.


_G is for George_ is my ninth contribution to fignewton's Alphabet Soup Series. Written for the Bra'tac Alphabet Soup hosted on the 25th of June 2012 for Gen Fic Day. Its hard to believe its been two years since I've participated in an Alphabet Soup, but given the amount of grief my muse has given me since I signed up for this round, I can see why!

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******Title:** G is for George**  
****Author:** samantilles**  
****Rating:** G**  
****Fandom:** Stargate: SG-1**  
****Spoilers:** SG:A's "Enemy at the Gate" and _Stargate: Continuum_**  
****Category:** Angst, Character Study**  
****Warnings:** Canonical Major Character Death**  
****Word Count:** 1302**  
****Beta:** Huge thanks to**fignewton** who literally beta'ed this about three hours past "last minute"

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As soon as O'Neill stepped through the Chappa'ai, Bra'tac knew he was the bearer of bad news. He momentarily forgot himself and feared Teal'c fell in battle, only to see him in the corner of his eye with Ry'ac practicing in the field nearby.

Bra'tac stood up carefully; even with the Tretonin, he was still almost 145 years old, an age very few Jaffa ever saw. He strode to meet O'Neill and offered his hand out in greeting. O'Neill had changed greatly since Bra'tac last saw him. The weariness that comes with leadership was taking its toll. "Greetings, my friend."

O'Neill took his hand firmly and gave a half-smile to the Jaffa master. "How's it hangin'?" He would never understand the Tau'ri idiosyncrasies, but Bra'tac readily understood even the oddest phrases Jack O'Neill had to offer.

"The Jaffa Nation grows stronger everyday. With Ba'al no longer in power, the Goa'uld have gone into hiding and every day we come closer to tracking down the last of them. They will not escape us for long." Bra'tac paused for a moment. "But I sense that you have not travelled all this way for a status update?"

O'Neill shook his head. "I need to speak with Teal'c. We need him at the SGC."

"O'Neill." Teal'c's deep stoic voice carried easily through the quiet air as he approached the men.

"Heya, Teal'c." The two shook hands as well. The air between the three men stood silent for moment, and Bra'tac was beginning to fear something dreadful had occurred.

O'Neill finally spoke after several failed attempts to begin the conversation. "Hammond's dead, Teal'c." O'Neill took a deep, rapid breath and stared directly at Teal'c. Bra'tac too stared at Teal'c and at once he recognized the emotion he hadn't before identified in O'Neill—utter anguish. Teal'c nodded somberly. "We haven't figured out the memorial yet, but uh…"

"I will arrive in the morning, once I have attended to that which I must finish here first, O'Neill."

"Great." O'Neill pointed his finger at Teal'c as if it was an acknowledgement as Teal'c bowed quickly and made his way back to Ry'ac. Jack then turned back to Bra'tac. "General Hammond regarded you as perhaps our greatest ally, Bra'tac. The Asgard might have given us technology, but never the true solidarity you've shown us. He told me you were truly our brother in arms."

"It was a true honor to fight alongside Hammond of Texas. His presence will be sorely missed. The free Jaffa will know of his contributions, be assured of that."

"Like I said, we haven't figured out memorial services, but when we do, I'll send word back. He'd be honored to have you present." Jack turned away slightly from Bra'tac for a moment and blinked repeatedly before shutting his eyes briefly.

Bra'tac wanted to ask for more detail, but the anguish on O'Neill's face stayed his tongue. As O'Neill turned back towards the Gate, Bra'tac could no longer hold back the question burning in him. "I must ask, did Hammond fall in battle?"

Jack shook his head. "He died naturally." Jaffa almost never lived until old age, and a natural death was nearly impossible as the denial of a prim'ta was neither natural nor a pleasant way to die.

"How old was Hammond?"

Bra'tac was confused at Jack's quick laugh. "He was 69."

"Far too young to leave this world. I was not yet named Apophis's First Prime at 69."

"Yeah, far too young." Jack echoed. He nodded to Bra'tac and took the opportunity the moment of silence gave him to return to the gate and back to the SGC.

* * *

"So, this is Texas." Bra'tac stared out the window of the SUV. Teal'c was driving the vehicle, and Walter Harriman was asleep in the back. A large blue sign welcoming Bra'tac to Texas passed on the right, and the Jaffa master looked out at the craggy terra cotta landscape.

"Indeed. General Hammond spoke of it often to me," Teal'c stated. "Though I have not yet travelled here in my time with the Tau'ri. I desired to travel to General Hammond's funeral in Amarillo by car to better see his homeland."

"The detail would be lost from the sky, Teal'c. It was a wise choice." Bra'tac also knew that Teal'c found flying in a Tau'ri plane quite uncomfortable, once confessing the Tau'ri voluntarily and at great expense pack themselves in ships tighter than even the lowest of Jaffa warriors on their way to battle. Walter admitted in an earlier conversation that seven hours in a car was much more agreeable than an hour and a half flight in the Tau'ri ships. But Bra'tac was willing to allow Teal'c to say his request to drive was only for the scenery.

* * *

After several hours, Teal'c stopped seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Bra'tac thought he had seen the signs to Amarillo, their destination, an hour earlier, but Teal'c diverted from the path and continued East. "We are here."

Walter hazily straightened up and looked around, his confusion apparent in his face and body language. "Um, Teal'c, where are we?" He straightened his glasses on his face.

"Hammond once showed me a picture of this place and told me if I ever came to Texas, I had to come here and watch the sunset." He pulled out the neatly folded paper out of his pocket and held it up to the vista in front of him. Before them all stood a large clay and stone pillar jutting right out of the earth hundreds of feet in the air. The image was a perfect match. Surely enough, the sun seemed about ready to set for the night. The men walked out onto the massive walkway to the stone pillar and, finding several small boulders, took a seat and watched as the orange globe set deep behind the blue hills far away, leaving a fuchsia and pink sky above. The last rays of the sun slowly succumbed to shadow on the pillar, and far too quickly night had come.

Walter pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and was wiping the tears coming from his eyes while Bra'tac and Teal'c made their way to the car. "I cannot recall the last time I spent so much time just looking at the landscape," Bra'tac noted.

"It's not practical to admire the landscape when you're under attack," Teal'c replied.

Bra'tac felt a similar sensation to the one he felt on Kheb all those years ago—true peace. He now understood why Hammond liked this place so much.

* * *

A full month had passed since the intimate funeral for George Hammond in Texas. Bra'tac and Teal'c were the only non-humans at the small cemetery and very few of the SGC were invited, save members from the original nine teams and team commanders. Careful not to break his cover, Bra'tac quickly offered his condolences to General Hammond's children and retreated to the SGC crowd.

News came by last week of a service for General Hammond aboard the new Tau'ri starship, intended for allies to pay their respects without the need for cover. Today, Bra'tac took a look at the crowd in the mess hall of the USS George Hammond, amazed at the number of representatives from various worlds that had travelled to honor the simple, good man he knew. While the quiet service he attended last month were the wishes of Hammond's family, the crowd today was a true testament to what George really accomplished during his tenure as the leader of the SGC. He felt for the family, unable to fully grasp the difference he made, especially as he stood near Ry'ac, who was like a grandson to him. The Tau'ri world might never know his contributions, but the rest of the galaxy certainly knew.


End file.
